Grants fund North Idaho schools
The Idaho Community Foundation granted more than $350,000 to educational programs throughout Idaho this summer to support preschool programs, school districts, libraries and more.
The grants — more than 30 in all — are part of its commitment to provide educational opportunities and bridge educational gaps across all Idaho communities.
North Idaho College received $15,000 to offer discounted preschool for the children of NIC students in the Student Academic Award program.
Jolie Wenglikowski, North Idaho College Children’s Center director, said the grant provided much-needed assistance to students.
“The cost of child care can be a roadblock for parents with young children working on their post-secondary education," she said. "In 2018, the STAR pilot program allowed student parents to take more credits and complete their educational goals more quickly. When the grant completed and we no longer had the funds to support these parents, many of them had to take a break from school until their children were older because they could not afford the child care AND their own tuition."
In 2020, more than $4.5 million in ICF grants went to support education, which is one of ICF’s philanthropic focuses that the organization calls Areas of Impact.
Areas of Impact are issues where ICF focuses its community-driven grant making, providing dollars to local organizations to address an issue and make a true impact for Idahoans. Other Areas of Impact include family homelessness and basic needs, mental and physical health and access to services.
Grants from ICF’s Idaho Future Fund and Forever Idaho North grant cycles go through a competitive request process and decisions are made by ICF’s Regional Councils and are approved by the ICF Board of Directors.
List of 2021 grants (North Idaho)
Idaho Future Fund
Children’s Village Foundation, Inc. (Kootenai County) — $18,717 to fund a summer program for the youth residents of Children’s Village providing the children with physical, mental and academic activities while on summer break from school.
Memorial Community Center, Inc. (Bonner County) — $25,000 to continue the preschool and be able to offer financial help for families who cannot afford tuition.
Moscow School District (Latah County) — $20,000 to mitigate the effects of remote learning loss experienced by students due to the pandemic. In 2020, nearly 15 percent of Moscow High students received a failing grade or withdrawal in at least one core class, double the average failure rate from past years.
North Idaho College (Kootenai County) — $15,000 to offer discounted preschool tuition to its Children’s Center for the children of NIC students in the Student Academic Award (STAR) program, which is for students who demonstrate financial need.
Priest Lake Community Education Foundation, Inc. (Bonner County) — $8,000 to provide Ready! for Kindergarten to Priest Lake-area parents with children ages 0-5, and to Priest Lake Preschool.
REACH Club, Inc. (Idaho County) — $7,750 to cover fixed payroll expenses for operation of the REACH Club preschool for one year.
University of Idaho Foundation, Inc. (Benewah County) — $10,000 to provide experiential STEM learning and exploration each school year for five years to approximately 150 underserved pre-K students on the Nez Perce Reservation and Coeur d’Alene Reservation.
Forever Idaho North
Note: Grants from Forever Idaho North are not project specific and can be used for greatest needs as determined by the recipient.
CDA Public Library Foundation (Kootenai County) — $5,000
Consolidated Free Library District (Kootenai County) — $5,000
Culdesac School (Nez Perce County) — $ 5,000
Human Rights Education Institute (Kootenai County) — $2,000
Kids Klub, Inc. (Idaho County) — $5,267
Kootenai Elementary School (Bonner County) — $2,563
Kootenai Joint School District #274 (Kootenai County) — $5,000
Memorial Community Center (Bonner County) — $3,000
Sacajawea Junior High (Nez Perce County) — $5,000
TESH INC (Kootenai County) — $5,000
University of Idaho Extension (Boundary County) — $13,849
West Bonner County School District (Bonner County) — $6,000